Insert molded lens driving apparatus

ABSTRACT

The invention provides an insert molded lens driving apparatus including a driving coil having two ends, wherein the lens holder includes multiple insert members for electrical connection partially embedded into the lens holder and spaced apart from each other. Each of the insert members electrically coupled to the driving coil and having a first connecting end extending along a first direction and a second connecting end extending along a second direction, which.

RELATED APPLICATIONS

This application is a Continuation Application of U.S. application Ser.No. 14/986,976, filed on Jan. 4, 2016, now approved and claims priorityto Taiwan Application Serial Number 104129909, filed on Sep. 10, 2015,which is incorporated by reference herein in its entirety.

BACKGROUND Technical Field

The present invention relates to a lens driving apparatus, and moreparticularly, to a lens driving apparatus having an insert moldedstructure.

Description of Related Art

Electromagnetic actuators have been widely used in driving lenses.Referring to FIG. 1, a lens driving apparatus equipped with such anelectromagnetic actuator generally includes (but not limited to thefollowing components), in a sequential order along an image formationdirection, a housing 10, a lens holder 11, a coil 12, a plurality ofmagnets 13, an upper leaf spring 14, a lower leaf spring 15 and a base16, which are assembled substantially along a Z axis (optical axis)direction. After the above components have been assembled, the housing10 covers the base 16 in a manner such that an accommodation space isdefined between the housing 10 and the base 16 to receive therein theremaining components 11-15. The lens holder 11 is configured to hold alens (not shown). The coil 12 is installed onto an outer circumferenceof the lens holder 11 and becomes a part of the lens holder 11. Theupper leaf spring 14 and the lower leaf spring 15, which is electricallyconnected to the wires at two ends of the coil 12, are disposed in theaccommodation space to sandwich therebetween the lens holder 11. Theplurality of magnets 13 are arranged around and spaced apart from thecoil 12. After the above components have been assembled, theelectromagnetic induction generated when an electric current is suppliedto the coil 12 will cause the lens holder 11 to move substantially inthe Z axis direction.

Generally, some of the above components are connected with adhesives.Connections among these components may break under intensive operation,resulting in the loss of control in driving the lens. For example, aportion of the lower leaf spring 15 is securely connected to the lensholder 11 while another portion of the lower leaf spring 15 is securelyconnected to the base 16. In this lens driving apparatus, the lower leafspring 15 mainly serves to perform electric conduction to transmitcontrol signals from the base 16 to the coil 12 of the lens holder 11.Once the above connections break, the lower leaf spring 15 may be inweak contact with the lens holder 11 or the base 16, causing aninterruption of the circuit.

Therefore, there is a need in the art for a lens driving apparatuscomprising components with improved mechanical functionality andreliability.

SUMMARY

An object of the present invention is to provide an insert molded lensdriving apparatus having a solderable structure.

In order to accomplish the abovementioned object, the present inventionprovides a lens driving apparatus, comprising: a lens holder comprisinga plurality of winding posts extending outwardly therefrom andrespectively comprising an insert member, the insert members beingspaced apart from each other and partially inserted to the lens holder;and a driving coil installed on an outer circumference of the lensholder, two ends thereof being respectively wound around the pluralityof winding posts and electrically connected to the corresponding insertmembers of the plurality of winding posts.

Alternatively, the insert member is an insert piece disposed on thelower surface of the lens holder.

The lens driving apparatus can further comprise a base. The base can beprovided with a metallic insert member extending from an upper surfacethereof to a lower surface thereof.

With the insert member structure of the present invention, theconnecting interfaces of various components (e.g. the lens holder) inthe lens driving apparatus are provided with solderable contacts orcontact areas so that the connecting components (e.g. the leaf spring)can be soldered thereto instead of being securely connected thereto withadhesives.

The foregoing aspects and other aspects of the present invention will befully described with exemplary embodiments below by reference to theappended drawings.

BRIEF DESCRIPTION OF THE DRAWINGS

FIG. 1 is an exploded view of a prior art lens driving apparatus.

FIG. 2 is an exploded top view of a lens holder in accordance with afirst embodiment of the present invention.

FIG. 3 is an exploded bottom view of the lens holder in accordance withthe first embodiment of the present invention.

FIG. 4A is a bottom view of the assembled lens holder in accordance withthe first embodiment of the present invention.

FIG. 4B is an enlarged partial view of FIG. 4A.

FIG. 5 is an exploded partial bottom view of the lens holder inaccordance with the first embodiment of the present invention.

FIG. 6 is an exploded top view of a lens holder in accordance with asecond embodiment of the present invention.

FIG. 7 is an exploded bottom view of the lens holder in accordance withthe second embodiment of the present invention.

FIG. 8A is an enlarged partial bottom view of the lens holder inaccordance with the second embodiment of the present invention.

FIG. 8B is an enlarged partial bottom view showing another configurationof the lens holder in accordance with the second embodiment of thepresent invention.

FIG. 8C is a partial section view of an insert structure shown in FIG.8B.

DETAILED DESCRIPTION

The present invention will be fully described by way of preferredembodiments and appended drawings to facilitate the understanding of thetechnical features, contents and advantages of the present invention andthe effect to be achieved by the present invention. It will beunderstood that the appended drawings are merely schematicrepresentations and may not be illustrated according to actual scale andprecise arrangement of the implemented invention. Therefore, the scopeof protection of the present invention shall not be construed based onthe scale and arrangement illustrated on the appended drawings andlimited thereto.

Unless the context clearly indicates otherwise, the terms used hereinshould be interpreted as carrying definite, relevant meanings. Forexample, the phrase “in one embodiment” can, but not necessarily, referto the same embodiment. Moreover, the phrases “in another embodiment” or“in other embodiments” can, but not necessarily, refer to differentembodiments. As will be described below, various embodiments of thepresent invention can be combined without departing from the scope orspirit of the present invention.

Unless the context clearly indicates otherwise, the term “or” as usedherein refers to a nonexclusive “or” that includes the meaning of theterm “and/or”. Unless the context clearly indicates otherwise, thephrase “based on” should be interpreted as having a nonexclusivemeaning, that is, it is possible to base on other factors not describedherein. As used herein, the singular forms “a/an”, “the” and “said” areintended to include the plural forms as well. The term “within” shouldbe interpreted as carrying the meanings of “within” and “above”.

Each of the following exemplary embodiments is mainly described with alens holder of a lens driving apparatus and its peripheral components sothat a person having ordinary knowledge in the art can understand thespirit of the present invention. It is to be noted that the technicalsolution of the present invention can be applied to similar structuresin the lens driving apparatus.

The First Embodiment

FIGS. 2 through 5 illustrate an insert molded lens driving apparatus inaccordance with a first embodiment of the present invention. The drivingapparatus comprises a lens holder 21, a coil 22 and a lower leaf spring25. Detailed features of each component will be described below.

Referring to FIGS. 2 and 3, the lens holder 21, like the lens holder 11in FIG. 1, is configured to hold one or more lenses (not shown). The Zaxis represents the direction in which the components are assembled andis substantially in parallel with an optical axis. The lens holder 21 issubstantially annulus in shape. A specific structure is formed at theouter circumference of the lens holder 21 so that the outercircumference of the lens holder 21 has a substantially rectangularshape. The coil 22 is secured to the outer circumference of the lensholder 21. As shown in the drawings, the lens holder 21 has a pluralityof protruding position-limiting elements 211 (i.e. extending in adirection perpendicular to the Z axis) on an external surface thereof soas to retain the coil 22 therebetween. The lens holder 21 has an uppersurface 212 and a lower surface 213 which are substantiallyperpendicular to the Z axis. The coil 22 can be positioned between theupper surface 212 and the lower surface 213 by means of the plurality ofposition-limiting elements 211. The upper surface 212 can be connectedwith other components, such as the upper leaf spring 14 in FIG. 1, andthe lower surface 213 can be connected with the lower leaf spring 25 inFIG. 4. The connection of the lens holder 21 with the lower leaf spring25 will be described below.

As shown in FIG. 2, the lens holder 21 further defines a plurality ofinsert slots 214 extending inwardly from the outer circumferencethereof. The insert slot 214 can have a specific shape so as to receivean inserted item having a shape corresponding thereto. As shown in FIG.3, a plurality of holes 215 and a plurality of slits 216 extendingtherefrom are defined on the lower surface 213 of the lens holder 21 atlocations corresponding to the locations of the plurality of insertslots 214. Each of the plurality of insert slots 214 communicates with acorresponding one of the plurality of holes 215 and a corresponding oneof the plurality of slits 216. In other words, the lens holder 21defines a plurality of passages extending from the outer circumferencethereof to the lower surface 213 thereof.

The plurality of insert slots 214 are defined so that a plurality ofinsert members 23 can be inserted into the lens holder 21. The insertmember 23 is configured to have a size and/or a shape corresponding tothe size and/or the shape of the insert slot 214. The insert member 23has a first connecting end 231 and a second connecting end 232 which areelectrically connected with each other. The second connecting end 232 isa pin extending along the Z axis from the insert member 23. When theinsert member 23 is inserted into the insert slot 214, the secondconnecting end 232 thereof will move along the slit 216 to enter thehole 215. As shown in FIGS. 4A and 4B, when the insert member 23 isinserted into the insert slot 214, the second connecting end 232 entersthe hole 215 and protrudes from the lower surface 213, and the firstconnecting end 231 protrudes from the outer circumference of the lensholder 21. In another embodiment, a distal portion of the secondconnecting end 232 can be at the same level with the lower surface 213or at a level not in excess of the level of the lower surface 213.Preferably, the insert member 23 can be configured to have an engagingstructure 233 through which the insert member 23 is inserted into theinsert slot 214 to engage with a corresponding structure (not shown)pre-installed within the insert slot 214, thereby facilitating theconnection of the insert member 23 to the insert slot 214. The insertmember 23 can be made partially or entirely of a metal material.Preferably, the first connecting end 231 and the second connecting end232 are made of a metal material.

Regarding the installation of the insert member 23, the insert member 23and a positioning member 24 can be simultaneously formed in advance, asshown in FIG. 3. The positioning member 24 can be made of a metalmaterial. The positioning member 24 can be operated by an automaticcontrol system to hold the first connecting end 231 of the insert member23 and to precisely insert the insert member 23 into the insert slot214. Alternatively, the insert member 23 can be integrally formed on thelens holder 21 with the insert molding method.

As shown in FIG. 4A, the positioning member 24 is removed from theinsert member 23 immediately after the insert member 23 has beenpositioned in the insert slot 214. The first connecting ends 231protruding from the outer circumference of the lens holder 21 serve aswinding posts that have sufficient areas to connect with the two ends ofthe coil 22, respectively. As shown in FIG. 4B, the respective ends ofthe coil 22 can be wound around or soldered to the first connecting ends231. As the first connecting end 231 and the second connecting end 232of each of the plurality of insert members 23 are electricallyconnected, the electric conduction between the coil 22 connected to thefirst connecting end 231 and the second connecting end 232 is formed. Inother words, an electric conductive path is formed through theconnection of the plurality of insert members 23 and the coil 22. Asshown in FIG. 5, a projecting tooth-shaped structure 234 can be providedat the second connecting end 232 to favorably connect the lower leafspring 25.

FIG. 5 shows the connection of the lens holder 21 assembled accordingFIG. 4B with the lower leaf spring 25. Typically, the lower leaf spring25 has a substantially annular shape and comprises a first leaf springpiece 251 and a second leaf spring piece 252 which are spaced apart fromeach other. A person having ordinary knowledge in the art should be ableto conceive of applicable specific structures for the lower leaf springbased on the existing techniques for driving lenses, thus relevantdetails will not be provided herein. FIG. 5 partially shows the firstleaf spring piece 251 and the second leaf spring piece 252. Each of thefirst leaf spring piece 251 and the second leaf spring piece 252 isfurther divided into two portions securely connecting to the lens holder21 and a base (e.g. the base 16 in FIG. 1), respectively.

FIG. 5 shows a curved arm 2511 on the first leaf spring piece 251 and acontact pad 2521 on the second leaf spring piece 252. The curved arm2511 is configured to contact the lower surface 213 of the lens holder21 to support the lens holder 21. A cutout 2512 is defined at one sideof the cured arm 2511 at a position corresponding to the secondconnecting end 232 of the insert member 23 and engages with theprojecting tooth 234 of the second connecting end 232. The soldering isperformed at an area where the cutout 2512 engages with the projectingtooth 234 so that the first leaf spring piece 251 of the lower leafspring 25 is securely connected to one of the plurality of insertmembers 23. Similarly, the second leaf spring piece 252 is securelyconnected to another insert member 23 (not shown) in the same manner.Accordingly, two ends of the electric conductive path respectivelyextend to the first leaf spring piece 251 and the second leaf springpiece 252 of the lower leaf spring 25.

The contact pad 2521 of the second leaf spring piece 252 has a mountinghole 2522 defined at a location corresponding to the location of aprotrusion on the base. As shown in FIG. 5, the contact pad 2521 isconjoined to respective one of a plurality of electric pins 26 throughthe mounting hole 2522, and the soldering can be performed at an areawhere the contact pad 2521 and the electric pin 26 are conjoined. Theplurality of electric pins 26 can be integrally formed with the base byinsert molding and spaced apart from each other. Accordingly, the secondleaf spring piece 252 is securely connected to the base and electricallyconnected to one of the plurality of electric pins 26. Similarly, thefirst leaf spring piece 251 is securely connected to the base and thecorresponding electric pin 26 in the same manner. Accordingly, the twoends of the electric conductive path respectively extend to theplurality of electric pins 26. The plurality of electric pins 26 areelectrically connected to a control circuit (not shown) configured togenerate driving signals for controlling the lens driving apparatus.

According to the above exemplary description, the connections among thelens holder, leaf springs and base in the lens driving apparatus areestablished through the metallic members inserted into the lens holderand base, and these metallic members can be secured by soldering.Compared with the securing by an adhesive, the means described in theabove embodiment can improve the mechanical functionality of the lensdriving apparatus and reliability of the electric conductive path.

The Second Embodiment

FIGS. 6 through 7 illustrate an insert molded lens driving apparatus inaccordance with a second embodiment of the present invention. Thedriving apparatus comprises a lens holder 41, a coil 42, a lower leafspring 45 and a base 46 along an optical imaging direction. Detailedfeatures of each component will be described below.

Please refer to relevant description of the first embodiment for theassembly of the lens holder 41 and the coil 42. The lens holder 41 hasan upper surface 411 and a lower surface 412. The lens holder 41 has aplurality of winding posts 413 formed at an outer circumference thereofand extending therefrom. The plurality of winding posts 413 arepositioned between the upper surface 411 and the lower surface 412 ofthe lens holder 41. Preferably, the plurality of winding posts 413 arepositioned in proximity to the lower surface 412 or extend from thelower surface 412. As shown in FIGS. 6 and 7, the directions in whichthe plurality of winding posts 413 extend are substantiallyperpendicular to the Z axis. The plurality of winding posts 413 can beformed integrally with the lens holder 41 by injection molding. Thewinding posts 413, like the first connecting ends 231 of the pluralityof insert members 23 in the first embodiment, are wound around by twoends of the coil 42, respectively.

The lens holder 41 further comprises an insert member composed of aplurality of insert pieces 414 for soldering connection and/orelectrical connection. As shown in FIG. 7, the plurality of insertpieces 414 are formed on the lower surface 412 of the lens holder 41 andspaced apart from each other. The plurality of insert pieces 414 extendalong the lower surface 412 and are substantially perpendicular to the Zaxis. One surface of each of the plurality of insert pieces 414 can beprovided with a positioning point 415 configured to be aligned with thelower leaf spring 45 during the assembling process. The plurality ofinsert pieces 414 can be integrally formed with the lens holder 41 byinsert molding.

The insert piece 414 partially extends to the surface of the windingpost 413. As shown in FIG. 8A, an insert piece 414 can extend along thelower surface 412 to the winding post 413 in the same plane so that thecoil 42 wound around the winding post 413 is electrically connected tothe insert piece 414. Accordingly, an electric conductive path is formedbetween the insert piece 414 of the winding post 413 and the coil 42.

Referring to FIGS. 6 and 7, the base 46 has an upper surface 461 and alower surface 462. The base 46 comprises a metallic insert memberextending from the upper surface 461 thereof to the lower surface 462thereof. Specifically, the metallic insert member comprises a pluralityof electric contacts 463 distributed over the upper surface 461 of thebase 46 and a pair of electric pins 464 extending from the lower surface462 of the base 46, partially inserted into the base 46 and electricallyconnected to the electric contacts in the proximity thereof. Similarly,the base 46, the plurality of electric contacts 463 and the pair ofelectric pins 464 can be integrally formed by insert molding. Theelectric contact 463 can have a protruding shape so as to be alignedwith and connected to the lower leaf spring 45. Moreover, an area of theupper surface 461 of the base 46 in contact with the lower leaf spring45 can be metallic so as to facilitate the soldering.

The lower leaf spring 45, like the one in the first embodiment, has twoseparate leaf spring pieces, each of which has a curved arm 451 and acontact pad 452 for connecting to the lens holder 41 and the base 46,respectively. As shown in the drawings, the curved arms 451 and thecontact pads 452 have respective positioning holes (not marked in thedrawings) corresponding to the positioning points 415 on the pluralityof insert pieces 414 and the plurality of electric contacts 463 on thebase 46. The curved arms 451 of the lower leaf spring 45 are in contactwith the corresponding insert pieces 414 in an aligned manner, and thecontact pads 452 of the lower leaf spring 45 are in contact with theupper surface 461 of the base 46 in an aligned manner. The soldering isperformed at areas where the curved arms 451 and the contact pads 452 ofthe lower leaf spring 45 are in contact with the insert pieces 414 ofthe lens holder 41 and the upper surface 461 of the base 46 so that thelower leaf spring 45 is partially securely connected (includingelectrically connected) to the lens holder 41 and partially securelyconnected (including electrically connected) to the base 46. The contactarea defined by the shape and size of the curved arm 451 should at leastoverlap the corresponding insert piece 414. Accordingly, the electricconductive path extends through the lower leaf spring 45 to the electricpins 464 of the base 46. The electric pins 464 can be electricallyconnected to a driving circuit to receive driving signals for drivingthe lens.

FIG. 8B shows another configuration of this embodiment. The winding post413 can be replaced with an insertion-type winding post 5. Specifically,the insertion-type winding post 5 can extend from one end of the insertpiece 414 and be integrally formed with the lens holder 41 by insertmolding, as shown in FIG. 8C. The insertion-type winding post 5 canextend through the lens holder 41 to the corresponding insert piece 414.In other words, the insert piece 414 and the insertion-type winding post5 can be integrally formed as a metallic semi-product prior to theinsert molding process. Accordingly, the insert piece 414 is notrequired to extend to the winding post, and the two ends of the coil 42will be electrically connected to the insert pieces 414 when woundaround the insertion-type winding posts 5.

According to the first embodiment and the second embodiment describedabove, the specific structure of the insert member enables thecomponents of the insert molded lens driving apparatus of the presentinvention, such as the lens holder, the leaf springs and the base, to beinterconnected, and these components are securely connected by solderingrather than using an adhesive. Although not described in the aboveembodiments, a person having ordinary knowledge in the art is capable ofapplying similar insert members to the upper surface of the lens holderor other similar structures so as to facilitate the connection of othercomponents. In addition to the structures disclosed in the drawings, theinsert member can have a variety of different configurations and affixedstructures so as to facilitate the secure insertion of components intothe main body. In other potential embodiments, a winding post can beconfigured to include two insert members around which two ends of a coilcan be wound.

The preferred embodiments of the insert molded lens driving apparatus ofthe present invention have been described by reference to the appendeddrawings. All the features disclosed herein can be combined with othermethods, and every feature disclosed herein can be optionally replacedwith a feature with the same, equivalent or similar effect. Therefore,except for particularly distinct features, any feature disclosed hereinis an example of identical or similar features. With the preferredembodiments described above, a person skilled in the art understandsthat the present invention possesses novelty, inventive step andpractical applicability. Any modification to the present inventionwithout departing from the scope of the claims can be made by a personskilled in the art.

What is claimed is:
 1. A lens driving apparatus comprising a drivingcoil having two ends and installed on an outer circumference of the lensholder, characterized in that the lens holder comprises: a plurality ofinsert members for electrical connection partially embedded into thelens holder and being spaced apart from each other, each of theplurality of insert members electrically coupled to the driving coil andhaving a first connecting end extending along a first direction and asecond connecting end extending along a second direction, wherein thefirst direction and the second direction are different.
 2. The lensdriving apparatus as claimed in claim 1, wherein the first connectingend and the second connecting end are at least in part embedded into thelens holder.
 3. The lens driving apparatus as claimed in claim 1,wherein the two ends of the driving coil respectively wind the firstconnecting ends of the plurality of insert members.
 4. The lens drivingapparatus as claimed in claim 3 further comprising a leaf spring,wherein the second connecting end of each of the plurality of insertmembers is engaged with and electrically coupled to a leaf spring. 5.The lens driving apparatus as claimed in claim 4, wherein the secondconnecting end of each of the plurality of insert members includes apositioning point configured to align with the leaf spring coupledthereto.
 6. The driving apparatus as claimed in claim 1, wherein thelens holder has an upper surface and a lower surface between which theouter circumference extends, while each of the plurality of insertmembers extends between the outer circumference and the lower surface.